One Chicago Crossover:The Riverboat
by scriba vindex
Summary: Passion, proposal, and parenthood intersect in a One Chicago crossover featuring Dawsey, Linstead, and Rheese. Circumstance finds Dawson, Casey, Lindsay, Halstead, Reese and Rhodes aboard the same luxurious Chicago riverboat one evening; each individual is aboard for a different reason and thoroughly expects to be off-duty…
1. We Are A Family (Dawson)

**This crossover takes place toward the end of Fire's season 5, P.D.'s season 4, and Med's season 2. Dawson and Casey are married but at a crossroads regarding the future of their family. Halstead has severed all ties with his ex-wife and has been rebuilding his relationship with Lindsay. Rhodes and Reese are each committed to other relationships, but fate works hard to throw these prior commitments into the fire...**

* * *

" _Are we ever going to be a family? I just keep thinking about it since Louie left."_

" _We are a family."_

Matt's words had echoed endlessly on a loop inside Gabby's brain ever since he had uttered them a month ago.

She remembered Matt kissing her as soon as the words had escaped his lips, and the way their evening had continued without further discussion of the subject.

They had dined warmly, watched the Blackhawks zealously, and embraced sleeplessly into the wee hours of the next morning. All the while seeds of uncertainty took root in Gabby's mind.

 _Is this enough?_ She had asked herself endlessly. _Are we locked on this childless course and bound for eternity?_

For a solid week Gabby had perused Matt's answer to the question that remained at the forefront of her mind.

" _We_ are _a family."_

Was he simply being supportive? Was he having second thoughts about having children around? What had happened to the Matt who had wanted kids for his entire adult life?

Perhaps most darkly, Gabby sometimes wondered _Is it me? Was it the miscarriage?_

These concerns had made her insides shrivel, yet Gabby had held her tongue and proceeded as normal, as though Matt's answer had left her satisfied. Internally, she felt incomplete-emptied by Louie's departure- and suspected that there was only one way to fill the void.

It had taken a particular call about a week after Gabby had first asked the question for discussion of the subject to be revived between she and her husband.

By sheer coincidence, Matt had ended up helping Gabby to deliver a baby in the half-collapsed basement of a house. The walls had threatened to implode around them through the duration of the delivery, and Matt and Gabby had found themselves alone, afraid that shifting any wreckage to admit assistance might bury both they and the mother-to-be. Miraculously, both mother and infant had come through the birthing, and careful relocation of debris after the fact had narrowly enabled escape.

Gabby had watched Matt present the anxious husband, who had been stuck on ground level for the duration of the delivery, with his newborn son. She had watched Matt's eyes, alight with adrenaline, and perhaps envy, as he observed the infant in the man's arms.

That night Gabby had summoned the courage to revisit the subject of family with Matt.

"That was a hell of a rescue today." She had muttered as they sat down with a late-night order of Chinese food after shift.

Matt smiled, his blue eyes boring brightly into Gabby's. "It sure was." he admitted readily, dishing noodles onto his plate. "It reminded me of a highway delivery you walked me through several years ago."

Gabby cracked a gentle smile, her eyes darting up to meet Matt's in calm reminiscence as, simultaneously, her heart beat wildly inside her chest. "That one was amazing too. The ones with newborns and happy endings always are." she replied breathlessly.

"Is it the babies or the grateful parents-" Matt mused, sipping his drink "that make them amazing?"

"Definitely the babies." Gabby admitted, "Though the parents are good too." She added quickly.

She let her eyes fall on him once more and cleared her throat in anticipation, her hands pressing nervously into her lap.

Both Gabby and Matt opened their mouths to speak at the same instant, their forks hitting their plates and their gazes locked.

"You go first." Matt insisted with a chuckle and a smile.

Gabby exhaled sharply, "Matt, I know what you said about us being a family, and we are- we always will be- but…" she trailed off, eyes averted, fearful of what Matt's expression might be. "...I feel like a part of us is missing, since Louie left. Now I know what it's like to...have a child...I want it for us again, if you do too, that is." she finished with a stammer. "I want our family to be _more."_ she confessed quietly. "I want to have a baby."

Gabby raised her eyes very slowly, out of fear of Matt's response. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw that he was smiling. After a lengthy pause, he spoke.

"You took the words right out of my mouth."

Gabby burst into a jubilant smile and leapt from her seat. She embraced Matt tableside and felt her fears ebb away. A thin stream of joyous tears made their way down her cheek as she held Matt tightly.

"I never wanted to push things, after what happened last time." He whispered into Gabby's shoulder, his voice choked. "But nothing makes me happier than to hear you say those words." he promised, pulling away from Gabby and taking her face gently in his hands. "I'll be with you every step of the way. Always." he breathed, planting a kiss on her forehead.

With those words their new path was set.

* * *

Matt and Gabby made an agreement that if nothing occurred "naturally" within a couple months, they would seek professional advice on the matter of conception. Gabby spoke enthusiastically of apps, supplements, diets, tricks, and home remedies which might speed up the process, though as it turned out, intervention was hardly necessary.

Now, a mere month after Matt had first reassured her that they were, indeed, already a family, Gabby found herself wondering if they were to become three sooner than expected.

It started when she fell asleep in the passenger seat of Ambulance 61 as Brett drove back from a call on Wabash. Her partner had shaken her awake as they pulled into the firehouse and joked about her incompetence; though mentally Gabby noted with a hopeful jolt that she was exhausted despite reasonable amounts of sleep the previous few nights.

The next few mornings brought nausea, which she did her best to hide from Casey, lest he become prematurely suspicious.

Finally, Gabby realized she was a week late, a realization after which she conceded and decided to do the test.

The particular morning she chose was a rare day off that she had booked long ago for the purpose of helping Antonio with an event. Gabby contentedly remained in bed, intending to sleep in as Matt left for the firehouse. He kissed her goodbye and promised he would be seeing her that evening.

As soon as she heard the door to the apartment click shut, Gabby slid out of bed and shut herself in the bathroom.

Moments later, her hand flew to her mouth and she emitted a muffled shriek as the two lines on the test appeared. Her heart thudded heavily in her chest and she wanted to bawl tears of joy. Though that, she suspected, had more to do with hormones.

 _A second chance._ Gabby thought giddily. _We have a second chance at a family._

She strutted joyfully around the apartment, feeling lighter than air as she got ready to go and meet her brother.

She was tempted to call Matt immediately, needing to share some of her excitement, but forced herself to wait.

 _The moment should be perfect when I tell him._ Gabby instructed herself strictly. _In fact_ , no one _should know until the moment is right._

So her secret would remain locked up, for now.

Gabby realized suddenly that in her enthusiasm she had lost track of time. She glanced at the clock and felt her heart stop as she registered _9:31._

 _I was supposed to meet Antonio at the restaurant at 9:00!_ She remembered with horror.

"Shit." She cursed, grabbing her purse and her jacket in a flurry. "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit." She mumbled to herself as she flew out the door, nearly forgetting to lock up the apartment behind her.

Months ago Gabby had agreed to help Antonio with a very important catering job for his wife's- perhaps his ex-wife, now- restaurant. A very prominent Chicago philanthropic society was hosting a fundraising dinner on a luxury riverboat, which was set to sail the Chicago River tonight for several hours.

Antonio's restaurant was short-staffed for the event, so Gabby had reluctantly promised to lend a hand, telling herself she would get to spend a night on a fancy boat and could enjoy a "day off" in which she would cook instead of saving lives…

Now she had some reservations, particularly not wanting to deal with the inevitable tension that would brew between Antonio and his ex-wife when forced to work together for most of the day.

With a sigh Gabby reminded herself, _you're doing it for your brother, and so you can spend an evening on a Riverboat on the Chicago River._

 _Besides, nothing can ruin this day._ She decided jubilantly, smiling and placing a hand over her belly as she pulled up in front of the restaurant.


	2. I Mean Forever (Halstead)

"I feel like it was a good choice to move back in with you." Jay noted, feigning uncertainty as he watched Erin get ready peripherally. He felt his heart pick up speed as she slid into a magnificent black dress. He raised an eyebrow in mock epiphany, "I think this might be a step up from watching Will strut around in his boxers."

She cast him a teasing smile over her shoulder, "Careful, Halstead. I can just as easily boot you back out." she muttered playfully.

"Don't pretend you don't like having me around." Jay quipped with a smile. "Now that I've...got my head on straight."

"Yes." Erin replied flatly. "Now that you do, I'm glad you're back." She breathed with a hint of grimness.

Jay could see tension in her shoulders even from across the room. He had moved back into their apartment a mere two weeks ago; he remembered the events leading up to his return vividly.

Jay had missed Erin dreadfully as soon as he had left to stay with his brother, but a month away had truly driven home his appreciation for everything he was once more enjoying now. Many long brotherly chats with Will, an overdue farewell to his ex-wife, and a few signed papers later and Jay Halstead was a free man once more.

However, with his re-discovered freedom came the gravity of what had been sacrificed for the cause. Erin had hardly spoken to him at work for nearly a month.

Their recovery had been a constant work in progress. It began with Jay buying Erin coffee, flowers, and lunch. It continued with a gradual repair of conversation. It featured the return of the joking, teasing, and flirting. It felt as though Jay got to fall in love with Erin all over again.

Erin, meanwhile, thoroughly enjoyed playing hard-to-get. She had Jay running in circles so fast trying to win her approval once more that it made everyone in the precinct dizzy. Voight evidently found their shenanigans both irritating and entertaining, because he alternately reprimanded Erin and Jay for not staying focused, or else could be heard chuckling and muttering about their antics from inside his office.

Eventually Erin became receptive to the idea that Jay had returned for good; a few weeks prior she had pulled him into the interrogation room and kissed him of her own accord for the first time since they had "taken a break".

"What was that for?" Jay had murmured as soon as their lips separated, internally exploding with ecstasy.

"Jay, you never gave up on me when I was down, so I never gave up on you either." She replied with a small smile, looking bemused.

He curled his fingers into hers and kissed her again, gently pressing her against the wall. Jay relished the sensation of her lips on his own- a feeling he had been craving since first stepping foot outside their apartment that dreadful night.

Things had spiked upwards for Jay in a positive way after that. Erin let him take her out on multiple dates; after three nights out she let him come home.

"On one condition." She had insisted as they lay together the following morning, clothed only in sheets. "Don't put me through hell like that again."

"Never again." Jay had promised earnestly.

Now as he watched Erin applying a dash of makeup (which was highlighting her already alluring features) he knew his promise would remain forever intact. Jay intended to keep her around as long as she would have him.

 _I need to prove to Erin that I mean forever._ He decided firmly.

He also realized with a jolt, _There's only one way to do that. And what better night to do it…_ he observed prudently, feeling jittery at the thought.

He and Erin were to spend the evening on a Riverboat on the Chicago River. A dinner was being held to fundraise for a veterans' charity; a few of Jay's military buddies had invited him to support the cause, and Erin had agreed to be his date.

He had been excited about the event for a while. It offered a prime chance to get in Erin's good books by taking her out to a fancy dinner.

 _And if I go through with what I'm thinking then this night is about to get a whole lot more important._ He noted severely. _Am I really ready to do this?_ Jay wondered tentatively, casting a glance back at Erin.

 _I really hope so…_ Jay decided, his stomach churning. _Maybe a second opinion is in order…_

"I'll be right back, babe. Just got to make a call." He muttered quickly, urging his voice to sound normal.

"Everything okay?" Erin called from behind him as he strode out of the bedroom.

"Absolutely- just keep getting ready." Jay insisted, hoping he sounded more calm than he felt.

He shut himself in their closet- as far away from the bedroom as possible- and speed-dialed Will's number.

His brother picked up after three rings.

"Will. It's me." Jay hissed urgently. "I've gotta ask you something."

" _Hey, Jay. Whatever it is, ask quickly. I've only got a couple minutes of break time left…"_

"It's important!" Jay asserted sharply.

" _Why do you sound like you're in a closet-"_

"Because I am in a closet-" Jay interrupted facetiously, rolling his eyes. "-I think I want to propose to Erin." He added rapidly, his pulse pounding.

" _..."_

"Will?"

" _That's a huge step…"_

"Should I do it?" Jay insisted seriously.

" _Why are you asking me? I've never proposed to anyone before."_

Jay sighed. "You're my brother and I value your opinion." He muttered.

" _I wish I had that on record."_

"Do you have anything to add or not?"

" _It seems simple to me- do you love her enough to spend the rest of your life with her?"_

"Absolutely." Jay replied firmly. "I never want to lose her again."

" _Then get out of the closet, man up and do it- and ideally film it so I can watch her reaction later."_

Jay laughed and rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Will-"

" _No problem- now I have to go. Good luck!"_

The line went dead with a deafening buzz. Jay exhaled deeply. He slid out from among the coats, carefully keeping an eye out for Erin. Luckily she seemed to still be in the bedroom.

He ducked back inside and reached for the very back of the closet, where he had stowed his oldest, rattiest jacket. He reached down into its cavernous pockets and drew out a small box, which he tucked safely inside his military dress uniform.

Jay swiftly exited the closet and straightened uniform as much as possible before he heard Erin come out into the living area.

"Everything sorted out?" she called out, her voice preceding her person.

"Yeah, thanks." Jay answered quickly, finding his gaze jerked in her direction as she made her way into the kitchen. He tried not to appear too awed by her appearance: stunning in a dress the colour of a starless sky, with slender dark heels and her hair falling in elegant waves to her shoulders.

"Wait until my jarhead buddies get a load of you." He remarked with a smile. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you Jay." She replied with a coy smile. "You look quite presentable yourself."

"I'm sure we make quite a pair." Jay mused happily, the tiny box pressing against his side as Erin took his arm.

"That we do." Erin agreed with a gentle smile. "Now let's get moving- we have a Riverboat to get to."


End file.
